Who shot Michael Collins.

There were plenty of people who benefitted from his killing. Rumours about moles in government are interesting, although what are you implying if this were true?

Who was the plant, has this ever been exposed?

I think it is lazy to assume he was as popular a man as he is made out to be today. Begrudgery was invented long before the Civil war. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. He is sometimes almost beatified as our only martyr, but the reality is that fighting the Brits somehow led us to fighting each other...again. He had his fair share of dissenters on both sides, I would not be as brash to name them, even the ones I have heard. But he stood on many toes to be the boss.

People forget the nature of the times. The war in Europe resulted in Ireland being flooded with arms, rifles and guns were as common a feature post 1918 as mobiles and lap tops are today. Every second house was armed.

People underestimate the perception of betrayal felt by Irish people when he compromised over the six counties and the oath of allegiance. He was asking families butchered, burned and raped by the Tans to turn the other cheek. That did not sit well, nationwide, never mind Cork city or county? People were fuming, many were lining up to pull the trigger.

I would never rule out friendly fire either, not deliberate, but at twilight it would be near impossible shooting into a hill with the sun dropping away. I also always question how he was the only body after the ambush? That armoured shooter should have had a machine gun rattling away in all directions, catch a bullet a centre metre thick off one of those and it is all over. He was mad to leave his car as well, someone reckoned he was jarred, but I think that is an insult.

The Cork irregulars lured him down there on the promise of talks and killed him. All units were trained to operate in secrecy, the Sonny O'Neill story might be true, but any of them could have done him. I still am astonished he was the only fatality.

Why did they take the same route home? Sloppy stuff.

The state of Liam Deasy😅

Cary Elwes!

This is the thing though, he would have had more opportunities to maybe phuck things up even worse?

It is like everyone thinks Cobain or Bill Hicks were geniuses? They only worked for a few years, nothing to judge them on.

Seán Lemass kept himself in the game and we should all be grateful, he literally built the country single handed ... with the help of Thomas Kinsella and Tommy Whitaker.

You can't run a country from your grave.

Who are " those in government" ?

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I enjoyed that. Those responsible much as expected. Nice not to mention Sonny O’Neill. In the twilight and confusion, no one knew for sure. I'm sure the man has relatives in the area too.

He was supplying arms to Aitken etc I believe.

Sonny O’Neill must have lived a hard life believing what he did. I must look at his death mass card in TP Coogan's book again. He lived to relative old age.

All so sad. But shur that's the way. Collins might have died of a heart attack at 40 etc. No guarantee he was going to live 30 years more, solve partition and so on.

Maybe his best work was done 1916-22.

Hillarious.

You will be telling me he had a quare one in Carraig Mhór next?

I don't know, probably. But Dalton was a high profile army general, and exonerated tonight.

Sonny was an ordinary foot soldier.

O'Higgins, Minister for justice labelled Collins a blasphemous pasty fcuker! Collins had more in common with regards to the North etc with the anti treatyites than a lot of the less republican members of the Cumann na nGaedheal government.

That Bruton, Flanagan element that always existed in that party, later Fine Gael. Wanting to return to the Commonwealth, commemorate Tans etc.

In many ways Collins found himself on the wrong side. Because he felt he could achieve the Republican ideal through pragmatism. A pity so many of the anti treatyites couldn't see his logic. At the end of the day even men like Dan Breen took the oath on becoming a TD.

So many interesting things about Collins. His father 75 when he was born. Youngest of 8. His dad 60 married his mam age 23. He had a farm in Woodfield. The father was a scholar, taught by a hedge school master. Proficient in Greek, Latin. A scholar of maths and astronomy. Michael learning fenian tales from the local Blacksmith at Sam's Cross.